About
The character 鹜 (traditional: 鶩) is a phono-semantic compound denoting a wild duck. Its structure pairs the phonetic component 敄 on top, which guides pronunciation, with the semantic radical 鸟 (simplified) or 鳥 (traditional) below, classifying it within the bird category. While its core meaning has consistently referred to a wild duck, the character appears more often in classical texts and compounds depicting ducks in swift motion, rather than as the common term for a domestic duck.
Etymology Hide
